Reindeer cookie recipe

WASHINGTON – If you want to make the reindeer cookies, the recipe comes from Peas and Thank You.

Ingredients (Makes 15-20 balls)

3/4 c. vegan margarine (i.e. Earth Balance)

3/4 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. organic sugar

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

1 c. unbleached organic flour

1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour

1-3 t. non-dairy or organic milk

For rolling:

Christmas sprinkles

Cinnamon sugar mix

Crushed candy canes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a stand mixer or using an electric mixer and a large bowl blend together margarine, sugars, vanilla, salt and flour.

The mixture will look dry, but keep blending until a dough comes together, though it will still be crumbly. If you still haven’t reached a stage where the dough can be shaped into balls, add as little milk as necessary.

The more milk you add, the flatter your balls will be. And that’s all I have to say about that.

In the meantime, prepare whatever topping you choose to roll your balls in.

If you want to make candy cane dough balls and only candy cane dough balls, you can also add 1/2 t. of peppermint extract to your dough during mixing.

Using a mini scoop or your hands, form dough into golf ball-sized balls.

Roll in the topping of your choice and transfer to a baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. The dough balls will be delicate still, so allow to cool for at least 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

In an email to WTOP’s Morning Anchor Mike Moss, aka dad, Kim Moss writes, “Note: This dough is very dry compared to other sugar cookie recipes, and so it was difficult to punch in pretzels for ears and even chocolate chips for eyes without a little patience and time. (What happened was I’d get one “ear” in and as soon as I pushed in the other, the first one would come out!) I’ve made this recipe twice before NOT for Rudolph cookies, but just according to the directions from website, rolled in cinnamon sugar, and we LOVED them! Last thing– since the mixture is so dry, it’s easier to mix everything with HANDS, not hand mixer. A regular mixer would probably work fine though. ”

She says any sugar cookie recipe will work, but she used the vegan base because it has a very “cookie dough” kind of texture. She offers up this advice:

Traditionally, you pinch the middle of the cookie to make it look more like a reindeer.

“But I think they’re adorable when they’re nice and small,”

“We used peanut M&Ms, but you could easily use regular or any other variety, so long as they’re RED! Note: M&Ms are not vegan.”